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McCann Postsecondary Class 'Benefit' to Community

	Above, Shelby Groves with surgical technology coordinator Jocelyne Hescock; at left, being presented the Jaime Drennan Scholarship by Drennan's parents, Anthony and Dolores Sacchetti.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It was something of a completed circle on Monday night, as Shelby Groves was presented the first Jamie Sacchetti Drennan Memorial Scholarship.

Drennan had stood in McCann Technical School gym just a year before to recieve a lifetime acheivement award for her excellence in surgical technology. A 1981 graduate of the school's surgical technology program, she lost her battle with illness just six weeks later.

"It was very nice. ... I had a couple of my trainers tell me that Jaime had trained them," said Groves, who had done all her training at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, where Drennan had worked for 31 years and where Groves will now work. "So it was kind of fitting."

Anthony and Dolores "Dolly" Sacchetti presented the award on behalf of their late daughter.

"She was so exemplary at her job," said Dolly Sacchetti of her daughter. "She loved her job, especially working with the technology.

"It makes her father and I feel blessed to be able to help someone else."

School Committee Chairman Daniel J. Maloney Jr. congratulated the 29 graduates of the school's postsecondary programs in cosmetology, medical assisting, dental assisting and surgical technology in acquiring new skills and newfound confidence.  

"The success of our community is dependent on people working together as you go through life," he said.

He encouraged them to communicate with their clients, patients and residents to "better understand their needs and better serve them."

"The careers you've chosen are critical to the Berkshires," Maloney said. "What you learned at McCann is just the beginning, learning is really a lifelong process."

And those skills will help them gain "a career that will hopefully make a better life for you and your family."

Heather Malloy and Kaiden.

For Groves, a Pittsfield High School graduate, the decision was in part prompted by the need to provide for her daughter, and gain a career beyond waiting tables.

"I've always liked the medical field," she said, plus "I didn't get grossed out ...

"This was something I needed to do."

Heather Malloy, a McCann graduate, had taken a few years to come to back around to her high school. She was going to school for medical assisting in Reno, Nev., but life, in the form of her now 2 1/2-year-old son Kaiden, brought her back to be near family.

Now with a certificate in hand, she has a part time job with a doctor in Bennington, Vt., but is hoping for more.

Still, Monday night was a significant step. "I wanted to finish my certificate," she said, noting she had to start over. "My goal, that was to finish school ... after five years."

Superintendent James Brosnan reminded the graduates of the family members — many waiting with cameras and flowers to greet the graduates — who has supported them over the past year.

"All of us assembled in this gymnasium tonight will benefit from your education, your expertise," he said.

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